National Canine Lymphoma Awareness Day | Facts to Know

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The Origin of National Canine Lymphoma Awareness Day

Her name was Reveille, and like her moniker (which translates from French as “wake up”) the legacy of the dog agility competitor who lost her battle with canine lymphoma in 2012 continues to awaken awareness in animal lovers about this common form of canine cancer.

Observed each year on November 7, National Canine Lymphoma Awareness Day was established in her memory by Reveille’s favorite person, dog agility trainer and competitor Terry Simons. During the year that Reveille lived with the disease Simons went in search of information regarding treatments that might prolong her life. This search put Simons on the path to founding CLEAR (Canine Lymphoma Education Awareness and Research), a non-profit organization which is striving through clinical research to create a better tomorrow for dogs facing a canine lymphoma diagnosis, and offers concerned dog lovers both a better understanding of the disease their dog is fighting, and the choices available to help their furry family member.

Canine Lymphoma Facts

• Lymphoma is discovered in up to 25 percent of tumors in dogs.
• Although the majority (up to 80 percent) of dogs diagnosed with lymphoma do not show symptoms of the disease, some signs of cancer that pet parents should be aware of include: a swelling that continues to enlarge; red, irritated patches which become ulcerated; loss of weight, vomiting and diarrhea (which accompanies gastrointestinal lymphoma); difficulty breathing (found in dogs with mediastinal lymphoma) a sore that will not heal;weakness and loss of interest in physical activities.
• Although any organ in a dog’s body is susceptible to lymphoma, the disease is most likely to start in the lymph nodes.
• The majority of dogs diagnosed with canine lymphoma are middle-aged and senior.
• According to the AKC Canine Health Foundation, an estimated 1 out of every 15 dogs will develop lymphoma in their lifetime.
• Airedales, Basset Hounds, Boxers, Bull Dogs, Bull Mastiffs, Saint Bernards and Scottish Terriers are among the breeds at higher risk for developing lymphoma.
• Dogs who are less prone to be diagnosed with the disease include Dachshunds and Pomeranians.